As disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 8,234,770 Durandet et al., lasers have previously been used for joining metals using self-piercing rivets with preheating. Durandet et al. also discloses that the mechanical fastening method may be suitable for a clinching-type process or a press-joining process.
When lasers are utilized, metal joining processing must be carried out in a light-safe manner so that no scattered radiation from an intense laser beam causes damage to an operator. Previously such processing has been performed in a processing station that is secured against operator access during use so there is no exposure of operators to the laser beams.